1. Field
The present disclosure relates to seed boot structures and more particularly pertains to a new seed boot mounting system for providing a stable mounting for the seed boot even when mounting holes have become worn.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air seeder apparatus are used to move seed for planting from a bin of seeds to a furrow formed in the ground for the purpose of planting the seed for growing crop. The air seeder apparatus may include a seed boot for each row that the air seeder apparatus is capable of planting in one pass of the apparatus across the field. The seed boot includes a passage or channel through which the seed is moved from the seed supply container to the furrow. The bottom end of the seed boot is positioned in close proximity to the ground and the furrow, and is subject to contact with the ground that places stress on the structure mounting the boot to the base mount of the apparatus. The seed boot may be connected to the base mount by a pin, such as a bolt fastener, that passes through ears or tabs that extend from the base mount and the seed boot. The fastener passes through holes in the ears to hold the boot to the base mount, with some degree of pivot movement of the boot being possible. FIG. 1 of the drawings provides an illustration of the prior structure.
Due to the forces applied to the boot by contact with the ground, the mount is subject to significant wear over a planting season. The seed boot may be easily removed from and replaced on the air seeder apparatus, but this can be expensive, and rebuilding the mount structure on the main seeder apparatus is not as easily accomplished and thus presents a greater challenge. Some highly suitable solutions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,141,503 and 8,616,140, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties, but such approaches do not have some of the advantages of the present disclosure.